SCHOOLS & THE BIBLE.
METHODIST WtM. LEAGUE PLATFORM UPHELD
{By ScJosraph.— Speciol Cdrfcspefldciit.) Dqncdlft, Marek 3. ConSiiloi-aJjlB interest attached to this evening's meeting of Hw Mctliodisfc Cob- i foronce by reason <rf the feet Ol.lt the ! eenferencif was to discuss the BiWe-ra-State-schools question, it had been 4ccidctl by the Colrfoi'pijce at 'ail earlier stage that half an hour should bo the limit of time altowcd for tlio ttebatc, Inft tiiis firoused a lot of discussion. Some meaibors pointed out tfeat this time did ! not allow of full discussion, ant! that if. tiao limit was to ha adhered to the con* foroico might as w-rfl siinply waffitin •fiifc last year's I'esohitwii in'favawr at Ihe Ipjigtie's pktforw. ft was "finally decided that tlio 6i)fcn'mg speaker sliDflld iis-yo toil fliAiuites. tlio -mevet &f the iijiie.ndiiient five minutes, and the- .vast of tiw time (with the I'Xeeptio.u of tlio live finnl niim.rte.s) for the reply by tlio ciieinas speaker) should ge to any 'ottei' -Speakers. the Base Put, 'flic Ik'v. J. J. Lewis'-then moved; ■"That this conference affirms its adfierence to tbo platform and objects of the Bibfo-in-ist-ate-Sclicols jLeague, .ci>iitcratvilates the Ipague aH the saeqoss which has attended its efforts during • tils jaast j'Citr, and urges the Govern- ! jjient to pass tljo Jiooessufy legfslation ] to enable tlio jjcopte of tlio Domitiniii ■ to ospi'oss their will cancevfting this iiuptirtiuit qucsttei at the next general; cleetioit.'"' In epoakmg to Ms ■motlo!). j 31r. Lewis said lie troyM not wasto 0110
ir.iirato et time Ijy dwelling upon the Ji-ecossity of i»strtietiou from the JBfljle,.; Oβ this they fte.ro all agreed. ■ His Arty was to-, stew rea-sott wliy the nwtiait i should pa siippartetl by ereryotic ptewnt. It was unboliwa-blc! that a-ity Mothodist Couf eroficc in the world wdtfld reject a Bitttwn hi favour of inti'odueticfli, of the .Bible iuto tilie State sc'lioolsj ajidit was a flj.yatofy to him that, the eonferenee' should oppose ai-iythtag SB .intjeh : if; hflrffiMy with tfjo traditioiss atjd aims of licthotlisßT. No Biiftlish conferoiico had ever degraded itself : by accepting a merely sectttar system ftf educat-i.au. The Australasian Coufor'eiico h.a.d aftorded a!«pl.D tosttaouy and was an iiivaltiablo ftkanipl-B of the vast aiitaitjit of good ticconipl)slio by tho iiitrodflcfcion of the Biblo into the Steto schools. Theii , own
confere-iiM .vcar srftor yeai: liad passed 1-esulutie-ns in f.avmir <if the system, and they were going. to turn, thek [jacks uyiG-n the gtavfeus- traditimis o£ tlic past, A rcfore.iulHm «i the qutjtiou had Iweu talwu in Qiiooiiskiid, a«d bad , resulted in 74(228 people 'voftinjs for , it, and 56,-()31 a.ffsihst. it, teaving a majority of 17,0(}0. KW f .- in «Kar(J to this question tliey dad i'Jcoii askecl if it wqujd b<.! woikaWo a-nd fto' eonfere-j-ipe- had Mppdiiited ii TOfflWiittec to Miifcct all svailnble evkl.Biieo in cflfinection with it. Some rf tlteso appaiuted to t'liat committee- wore- liastife to the jjrejMSal, kit iipoit sc&ing the aliwiidant Evidence in its favour, they mms round and sitp-pei't-uci- i-t.' He -liiad heard it said that-
it.MvonM be. u-niair' te teachers to re* quire thciii to supervise lesso!is; v oitt of iv book in sdiich they might; not MfrweB» sftitl t'liat, if he werp'in Tutliey and his W'oro aslyed' to teach ffco Eeraat, it would not be a»y of his belie'fs.. Kc. osulct bonsistontly say Hia% tta-Koran jvas.sa btenyove-n"wit]i %Aish usages? and etistoms that it Mi itm, if the 'fur-idsh hoys Vve.vc-..,t.a their duties- as eilizeis,. 'they. /s3io}*L ; »e. inade fjun-iifa-i----:viih it. -Ho«;'..iiiftc.li.::JisMop wanrd lip tlife yoko on; tlio; Seeks <jf our day gfthdol tcaejioi's,- hosfisked. Woutotjlo'readift* of a psalm oi'.a chapter ffom-tjiij ge> ffloii oil th.oi -Mw.vßKjt.-be- any. %eclc to jj^.u^pleg,.:<«•.. beliefs? Tlje Olviirch tf Emm whs ae;iini.6-t thp mitV&m\, but thea it was not s.tlisfi.eil with tie Krfiseiii Sy-stotn"of 'qdnpation, a«d therefore, iltfiy (th e I^g ite ) dit j nob create,. aiw diffi&uiey, ' Tfet diflie-ftlty already existed, VlXi.i.-der Hi-is system tlio prions of the CtiStrA of Ifctte coiilfl wifiT the-day se-hools and Htve -e : hi'ld.i-on oj: tficir deliWiJjiati.on j'e* & Itebcrtsoft i\ietoU hM, .tokt -th-p English people iiiit .ttre Anstenlians w.QiiJd 'liavS cliffifsultiofl ivitji Uieir cd.Uoatioh q-iics.fio.n, and Jig tad sai-d that ho did npfc bclfevo- tijat jt would succeed. Sir ftebfittson Nictoß (]id w* ignore t-ho- fact ifest fit Eudu-fiil they had -ftn esta'blisiwd 'C'Jiviwh ■' of /wary antiquity, Jhcjr had their ca-tfe-urate, t-li-cir landed aristocrasy, aftd i'itehsijuirrarehy. β-j-, $au}igntaii- had p;iyc,n i* butter.proof of tho system -Jn'Amstralia> and liis opinion was for jriioj-e; ujtoffistiiig to tlie p_ct)pk' of Kew JJeajirrid. i'ho JMetliodist Cliurdj -:had joined with tithoT OliUttihes on tilie fflatform of to league, and; tliis. uiiioii lay tkopbt Wiftn all human iaxvs, oral or ttTitfeii. They raiiicJ Mot- ivitWpw trow the stand they tad taken. The Key.. Sir,' Pleslier se.eon.dcil fie motion without comment-. '
' The Case Ar'giiesfc Hie He*. 3: \Y, ■■ BtirtoH .lirovedj an. niHeiidfflont. as follows^— this efla- : foroliee rpgnrds t:iievpf!i.|)9sc!d refertjidxim on tho qjlGsjtioii, j.n Hs present form* iis dirftecMy uifatr, ni that it disfranchises so ihsiriy mewJJare of the <»nl-iiiari%, who, wlnio agreeing with the- fifSt Kectiqi) oftto iwo.posa-l, vrhidi aims tit the liitrodWion of ' tlio. BiMe _ into om< Stato Schook, eaiffio.t cajjsiiioutigusly voto fe tho se.etioii which seeks to intreclut'oaii odious feriji of sectarfait irisfci'uetion to oiif c£iidrefi." . ■ Speaiiijiß to hip qrawidinenfe,. Mr. Bur* ton said that a rofo-piutuiii. iis att.jtKy sent, suggestali wo'uiil bo Mr, fts it Avoultl liai'O tTso efet o£ diis.fraiicfiisrii.g Jjiin or rtiij'oiM telsts -who,.el* tlwflgli not Ojipo.secl to Hk jivtrotluttton of the Btlilo m\6 State sftlio-ols, Was. ii.6t in favour of titfi proposal us at .piefeoijt constituted. 'f%is Was a. qncsttoii <jii ■which he could mit say cithei' "Yos" or ■ "Nq." It was a salt and inustard pwposftl. 'J'li.o oHier sjtte cnulkt iiot .agfEo.to sno. question ft'fiflt salt aiicl another with nvHSts'rt. bitt d»* sired t<3 lia.ve the two togetliof. Ho ilioiigtit t;liat they imd hail too inu : p;h cspffioiteo. «j'f,tlr.fl j;otW<?Ncliim!J in .the past iu Now inland- to allow .any eoi}fsisefl is.sfe go before the- ipeopic. T'JiO Pi»hi:bition patty had as.k.e| for a shsrjjly-defced. issiie, and .Ji.ad got lt s ,indj in stici questions as tlvis, th'o sani.o (jteari.ifi.ss slibiikl be givcii, J|e bnliovetl that they should, face tjio ninjor qnostic!!), tt-hicJi woii'ld vet Ije tko great (|Uostio)i in t-iioir CJm.reli. Ho Jiacljcoii twitted with mot belftf? » New .jjeajaittl-Q-j- becawso ho «"as g&iiTg aw-a,V foy a tiirte. TWSj hqwcvsr, was Jiis Jjoiiie, ajici ho lov:cd jt, Ho had fep iutprest iti this eetonyj and , :Ijq felt ttiati ja Imsl some right to ckfoiiiil it, It Had. bfioii said tvhat some thotetinds of pcoplb had signed onnh, jivrt ho asfel. if ftosft jipoplo k«ow wJi-jlt they wp.m Sigijing. He monttojwtl ifie case of a jimn wiioffl lie Imil itißt in New Plyftwiiti). Who" lisd signed oho of tho eai'tts firijiiy bol.fev* ittg tliat it- vfa.s. a i'cquisttio.n'to j\aV ! o tho JJiMo intvo4ue<?d iiitn tlve State solwnls. Whcii ho (tho spetifcer;) had jßoiitiowecl the (net filiat it was iis lii.vour of Uhs iiitrochietTOii of fioctatiftlifepi the man had distorted thitk nnd 11 \vi-:w not Hlitil U© liad sent h" lsis card ami sflon tho thine far himseM , ttijit ho liftd been eiHtvJnoetf. Tlj«ew'»|mndre(Js 'si [ poo{ijo ivlio had been fiyiskd. tn tlio same S wu.v. If only UlO name of tho .lo.a&aio hud bpffli cliangctl Jo tliat nf "ScGtfniiit liisti.-HCttoii (11 Stato Sdioflk . fjpd.g'ii.e,'' it ivonhl tiavsT hficn all rigl.it, beciwu« theii tlio. ; pcopi(o wotdd nnt liaVft. been wislod.' Hβ foil jnjt a.s strongly on tin's (|aestiap .is dirt Sir. Lewis, &it, ha wciild not be i 'JXvtl;, iio.r fcoiild hs tc-«cJj • thw Kwau., -Yet Us tauftl the Bible, wiijeh a hook than
tJie Koran, ftwf lie could, teach it > with confidence, . ' ' . The tiev. Jli\ See-mor p'oiiiie'd <rtt tfin*tlioyi bad ten struggling against liiieI leproseiifcitiwi ever siiwo the .inception of tl» Leagttc?. White they opposed sectarianism "hi State schools, they we.ro in favour 'of Ik* Bible in State schools. "■ :. ' The Kov. Mr. Laws -said thW'jfr. JJuften had raised tho bogy that the ■ [leojilli did itbfc know what' thov ww<'
siskins for, and also that there-" , should be a definite issue, 'i'tie targe Majority iif t;lu> pCßptc wore prepared, to vote- for the platform of tho ]'iife»-Stata-ScliooLs .U'agfio-. Thes.o and, Iflce bogiss had tasen raised in op.positioii to I the proposal from the twuo of its inception, but tlio majority ef tlie people kiiC'iv exactly what they required., niid ! iio had no fair that any caiintq*. policy ■ i put forward by the oppositiomsis would I take onp vote .from til* league. J Tbo Ee'V. Ml , . l{a|iston Said that 3w> I did not ljcjieve in tlm right to eiltor the State ischoole. Tiio .Rot. Mγ. Blado .quoted Mistaiiicds ■\s%cr(! obtHrea woro- allowed to ritn wild without ftijing taught tho WnMl of G«i. He put in it spo'eial plea for these filiild* miThe Sflr. Mf» Lewis, jn feplyjiVg/ said tlvat tho ttpponente v)f tlvo iciguo wefo al'raitl of the Anglic'a.n clergy, ■lYirt thero was mo occasion J'o'f this, : a3 tlwy were Hot swc-Ji wcakiinfts t;(i*t ftey could aiot stand up i'er tli.oif Cbfltch. Hcj lio-wv ever, l.iouwired tjio Clnvrcli lie had ;mi?.ntioncd, and caxM greet the clergy %a, lending to it.as f'iow liiboterei'S'. 'I'tic- aifiondinemt wfte defea-tod- :by 86 votes tp 15, alii! tho motion, 'upon tieiiig put, was carried t*.y dii Vfiftea ic J4
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Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2000, 6 March 1914, Page 7
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1,539SCHOOLS & THE BIBLE. Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2000, 6 March 1914, Page 7
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